You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Every week I point you to articles and blog posts that I think will teach you something or spark an idea or two. The posts are about the intertwined tasks of reading and writing. Some weeks there are more pointers than others.
This week I’m pointing you to pieces on self-publishing a best seller, getting your first paid speaking gig, tracking your writing, and starting to write after fifty
From James Altucher: How to Self-Publish a Bestseller: Publishing 3.0
“My most recent book, ‘Choose Yourself!’ sold 53,000 copies since it’s release on June 3 [update 2016 – over 500,000 copies], hit the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list, was No. 1 on Amazon for all non-fiction books for a few days and is still flirting with No. 1 in its various categories. This post is about what I did differently, why I did it differently, and how I think anyone can do this to self-publish a bestseller. I describe all the numbers, who I hired and why, and how I made the various choices I did.”
From Dorie Clark: How to Land Your First Paid Speaking Gig
“Public speaking tends to be a love-or-hate pursuit. Some professionals loathe the prospect, wishing it weren’t required of them. Others — and I hear from many – dream of developing a paid speaking career on the side.”
Wally’s Comment: Years ago, someone told me that paid speaking was the best part-time job in the world. Dorie Clark’s article is the best one I’ve seen in a couple of decades about making paid speaking a lucrative part-time job, or more.
From Daphne Gray-Grant: Why writers should use a secret sauce — tracking
“Have you ever kept a writing tracking record? This simple document — you can create it easily in your own word processing software — will revolutionize your productivity….”
From Jane Friedman: Is It Too Late to Start Writing After 50?
“Today’s guest post is by author and physician executive Julie Rosenberg.”
Wally’s Comment: About half of my clients started their first book after they turned 50.
Sources I Check Regularly
I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writing Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.